(Blueberry) Turnover a New Leaf

04Jul

Turnovers are one of those pastries that seem to fit in just about anywhere. They can be tasty for breakfast, make for a fantastic brunch item and can be the centerpiece of your meal as a really nice dessert. While most of us are probably used to having apple turnovers, and they certainly are a classic that you can make yourself, buy frozen in the stores and heat up or get from your local bakery (if you’re lucky enough to have such a thing in today’s world). I love a good apple turnover, but getting good apples for turnovers is not an easy thing to do this time of year. Instead, now is the perfect opportunity to use some of the great summer fruit that is available. Blueberry is always a favorite of mine for pies, so why not for a turnover as well? This recipe from Bon Appetit is for blueberry-blackberry turnovers, but since I didn’t have any blackberries on hand (and while I love blackberries, Sean and Michelle are not big fans of the seeds) I decided to just go with blueberry and make the turnovers that way.

Blueberry Turnovers

For the Turnovers:

1 1/2 cupsfresh (or frozen, thawed) blueberries

2teaspoonsfinely grated peeled ginger

2teaspoonsfresh lime juice

¼teaspoonkosher salt

2tablespoonsall-purpose flour, plus more for the surface

1large egg, beaten to blend

¼cupheavy cream

1 store-bought pie crust, or your favorite pie dough recipe

For the Glaze and Assembly:

1½cupspowdered sugar

1teaspoonvanilla extract

¼teaspoonkosher salt

For the turnovers, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the blueberries, sugar, ginger, lime juice, salt and 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl until the ingredients are combined. Beat the egg and heavy cream in a small bowl until no streaks remain.

Roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 15 x 10-inch rectangle. Cut a thin border around the dough to square off the edges. Cut the dough in half lengthwise and then in thirds crosswise to form six 5-inch squares. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg mixture, then mound about ¼ cup of the blueberry filling in 1 corner of each square. Working with 1 square at a time, fold the corner opposite the filling up and over to create a triangle; press the edges with a fork to seal the edges. Place the turnovers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush them with the remaining egg mixture. Cut about a 1-inch-long slit in the center of each turnover. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and juices run from the slits, about 35–45 minutes. Let the turnovers cool on a baking sheet until they are just slightly warm.

For the glaze and assembly, whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and the salt in a large, wide bowl. Whisking constantly, add warm water a tablespoonful at a time until the glaze is thick and smooth and falls off the whisk in a slowly dissolving ribbon (it should look like sweetened condensed milk).

Working one at a time, dip the top sides of the slightly warm turnovers into the glaze, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Transfer the turnovers to a wire rack and let them sit until the turnovers are cool and the glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

I loved the way they turned out, but I have to admit I did make a mistake along the way while I was making them. I did not pay close enough attention to the direction when I was cutting the dough the first time and cut it incorrectly, leaving me with small squares I couldn’t do turnovers with. Instead, I turned those small squares into hand pies and went with those instead. Luckily, I was using store-bough pie dough and had another sheet that I could do them with again. I paid better attention this time and got the turnovers right. They turned out really well, with just the right amount of blueberries. The mix of the ginger and blueberries gave good flavor too that everyone seemed to like. The recipe makes 6 turnovers if you do it right and if you wanted hand pies instead, just cut the squares smaller and use one square for the top and the other for the bottom, crimp the edges and you are good to go. With the glaze on the hand pies they turn out just like the Drake’s fruit pies I love (if you live in the Northeast you know Drake’s pies).

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, have a happy 4th of July with friends and family, and enjoy your meal!